Helia
by evil older sister
Summary: Tag to The Return part 1. Helia tried to take control of the city. She failed. Please note this is not connected to either My Baby Boy or Reflections of Chaos.


Helia, commander of the Tria, knew what she had to do after the three Potentia were installed. The humans would have to go back where they had come from. She would sink the city again after her ship had been repaired. These…children should not be roaming the galaxy through the gates that her people had built.

She willed the override to rise from the floor in front of the gate. It would turn off the interfaces the humans had built and give her complete control of the city as the leader of her ship. She could then make them leave. Another thought should have led to confused shouting as the very things that had always worked now failed.

That isn't what happened, however, instead the man who had introduced himself as Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard caulked his head as if listening to something. His lips pressed thin as he suddenly glared at her. The scientist, Dr. Rodney McKay, then jumped slightly before frantically tapping something on the console next to him. His expression was more irritated but not fearful or worried.

"No casualties so far from the surges, a few burns en route to the infirmary; still waiting on reporting from around 25% of the departments." A look of delight crossed his features, "Hey look at that, it seems like she's started translating on her own."

The Colonel nodded and turned to Dr. Elizabeth Weir who stood to the side looking as confused as Helia felt. What was happening?

"Helia apparently attempted to lock us out of the computers and send us back to earth. Lucky for us we made a much better impression on 'Lantis than she did."

Here Dr. McKay broke in scowling again, "Three of my scientist and one of the trained monkeys that the SGC just sent me are head to the infirmary with second degree burns the surge from her attempt caused."

"That's not possible" Helia spoke, trying to inject a calm influence to set these children's minds at ease; "the override is designed to not cause harm to any system it shuts down. It could not possibly cause a back surge."

Helia had not felt like she was incompetent since her first year of flight school until that moment. Blue eyes stared at her; she was judged and apparently found wanting.

"That might have been the case if you hadn't taken two very important facts into consideration. First, you just flooded starving programs with more power than they've had in 10,000 years. Most of their buffers are completely off line; Atlantis said that if anyone had been in the scanner in the infirmary for any reason we would have had to bury them. The second fact is that several of our interfaces are of both ancient and earth design. Your override only shuts down the Ancient equipment. Four conduits just blew. Again thankfully I had some of our first wavers in those areas that have contained the damage and are repairing what they can."

Colonel Sheppard continues as if Dr. McKay hadn't spoken even though his face tightened with each report of damages. "Elizabeth, I recommend that none of the Alterans from the Tria be allowed to wander without an armed guard; at least until we can be sure they won't try to commandeer our city again."

Despite her guilt over the injuries Helia couldn't help but puff in indignation at his tone, "Atlantis was our home long before it was yours, Colonel Sheppard. You can't keep us from our home; Our city."

Like the Doctor Colonel Sheppard left the distinct impression that she was unworthy as he stared at her with pitiless eyes. "You abandoned her to the sea; we woke her. You ran from your enemies while we fight and die to protect her from them. How would this city hold any loyalty toward you and yours over us?"

Staring at the pair who were now ignoring her for earnest discussions into their own earpieces she tried again to activate the override. This time there was no response save a budding pain in her head; a warning.

"That's not possible" she utter quietly as she listened to the humans making plans around her. "It's just a city, just machines and programming."


End file.
